A new standard has been set at the University of Connecticut. Over the weekend the school retired the first two numbers in basketball history: Rebecca Lobo’s No. 50 for the women and Ray Allen’s No. 34 for the men. More than a decade after the Huskies of Honor was introduced, this is taking it one step further: get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and no one will wear your number again.
With Lobo (Class of 2017) and Allen (Class of 2018) enshrined in Springfield, let’s fast forward to the year 2044, and will any other numbers be retired at UConn? The short answer is yes. Looking into our crystal ball, here are five other numbers that will hang in the Gampel rafters:
#3 Diana Taurasi:
Very much in the conversation for greatest women’s player of all-time, Taurasi is one of a couple slam-dunk future Hall of Famers. The WNBA’s all-time leading scorer is toward the end of her career, which has seen three WNBA titles (including two Finals MVP awards), six EuroLeague championships, four Olympic gold medals (with a shot at a fifth in 2020) and three NCAA championships. Whenever she retires, add three years to it and there’s your enshrinement date.
#10 Sue Bird:
Another obvious choice for the Hall of Fame, Bird’s resume looks similar to Taurasi’s as her career begins to wind down. A three-time WNBA champion and the league’s all-time assist leader, Bird has also won four EuroLeague championships, four gold medals (again, perhaps a fifth next year) and a pair of NCAA titles. Like her former college teammate, it won’t take long for Bird to get inducted.
#23 Maya Moore:
Turning 30 in June, Moore still has plenty of good basketball left, even as she sits out the 2019 WNBA season. Already a four-time champion and five-time First-Team selection, Moore may not be a first-year-eligible inductee like Taurasi or Bird, but she’ll undoubtedly find herself in Springfield. She already has two Olympic gold medals, can add a third in 2020 and perhaps a fourth in 2024, not to mention Moore was a three-time collegiate Player of the Year and four-time All-American.
#30 Breanna Stewart:
Her career is still young, but already Stewie is more than on a Hall of Fame track. For starters, aside from teammate Moriah Jefferson, no one (man or woman) has won four NCAA titles in four years, let alone be named Final Four Most Outstanding Player four times. Then at the professional ranks through three years she already has an MVP, Finals MVP and championship to her name, and was on the 2016 Olympic team. At just 24 years old, she’s on a path to be in the “GOAT” conversation.
#15 Kemba Walker:
This is the only one that might be up for debate, but Walker’s numbers could garner attention in Springfield. By the time this season ends, Walker will have scored a little less than 12,000 points through his age-28 season. Though his career scoring average is 19.6 points per game, that’s ticked up to 23 over the last four seasons.
Crunching a few numbers, let’s say Walker has five years averaging 23 points per game, and another three averaging 18. Assuming he stays healthy and productive, that would put him above 25,000 career points. All 26 players in NBA history to reach that plateau are either Hall of Famers or will be. Even if Walker isn’t that prolific a scorer, every player to hit 21,000 career points is (or will be) a Hall of Famer, and only Tom Chambers and Antawn Jamison have reached 20,000 without getting inducted.
